


five things that never happened to leo messi (but could very easily have)

by stickmarionette



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternative Timeline, Baby Dream Team, M/M, Pre-Slash, five things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-21
Updated: 2010-07-21
Packaged: 2017-10-10 17:36:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/102328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stickmarionette/pseuds/stickmarionette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>There's a curious rumour floating around the streets of Rosario. </i></p><p>It concerns the dwarf who owns the tiny sweets shop two streets down from Newell's stadium.  Five things that could easily have happened, five directions Leo's life could have taken.  Alternative timeline fic.</p><p>Written in 2007.</p>
            </blockquote>





	five things that never happened to leo messi (but could very easily have)

**1) growth hormone**

There's a curious rumour floating around the streets of Rosario.

It concerns the dwarf who owns the tiny sweets shop two streets down from Newell's stadium and plays football with kids half his age on the street whenever he can get away from the store. They say that he could have gone professional, done big things; that he'd had a trial at River Plate and nearly got signed, but for the hormone problem that stopped him growing and killed his career before it even started.

His team mates on the street swear that it's all true, but then, they've seen him play.

**2) la furia roja**

Putting on the red of Spain didn't feel quite right, and it probably wouldn't for a very long time, but Leo had waited and waited for the call from his homeland, and could wait no longer. Then Cesc had said 'come play with me, and we'll win everything,' and that was that.

The newspapers are calling for the coach to give him a call-up for the senior national team, and soon, so that he can't change his mind, or so his father tells him. But even as he scores goals for the under-20s, Leo keeps hoping against hope that he'll get a phone call from a different source.

Because every single night after he's worn the red kit of Spain, he still dreams: of the roar of the Monumental; of winning trophies in different colours; and, always -

\- of blue sky and white clouds.

**3) the gunners (Arsenal circa 05-06)**

He'd known about Arsenal wanting him since Cesc left.

At first, he'd said no, because he owed Barca, and because frankly he didn't want to go through the trial of get used to another country so soon after settling in Spain. But he knew he had outgrown the youth teams, and the possibilities of a move up to the senior squad seemed ever more remote.

He'd waited and waited, but he couldn't keep waiting forever.

His last night in Barcelona, Leo stared at the giant looming form of the Camp Nou from the street outside and made a promise: to come back and repay his debts. But for now, he had to go. Even if he was terrified.

"I...I don't think this is going to work," he'd mumbled down the phone line earlier that day, red-faced.

He could hear the grin in Cesc's voice. "It will all work out fine, you'll see. You've got me, remember?"

And now, with the ball in the back of the net and the roar of the Highbury crowd all around him like a living thing, Leo wraps his arms around Cesc and they grin at each other like mad men.

He says 'oh god', and 'thank you', and 'you were right'. Cesc probably can't hear any of it over the crowd, but that doesn't matter.

They both know, anyway.

**4) mr capello's wish (juve circa 05-06)**

Mr Rijkaard hadn't wanted him to go on loan, especially not to Italy. But the registration problem meant he couldn't play anyway, and Mr Capello was pretty insistent about asking. Or at least that's what Mr Rijkaard told him, along with 'I'm sorry', and 'be careful', and, with absolute, reassuring certainty:

"Don't worry, you'll be coming back."

He's about to go on as a substitute in the fifth game of the season with 10 minutes left to play. Mr Capello puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Help your team mates and keep the ball away from our area. You'll be fine."

Leo nods, hoping that his faint tremor isn't noticeable.

Zlatan grins at him as he comes off in a way that is not at all reassuring. He can only bite his lip and attempt an answering smile, although it probably comes off a little flat, because he gets a pat on the back which does feel kind of reassuring as their paths cross.

As always, though, as soon as he steps onto the pitch, everything else is just - gone. He's no longer nervous; he can't hear the crowd; and the feeling of _wrongness_ at wearing the zebra stripes instead of _blaugrana_ ones fades away.

Leo gets his first touch of the ball in an official game for Juventus about 5 minutes in. Mr Capello had said to concentrate on defence, but they'd always taught him back in Barcelona that attacking was another form of defending anyway, and there was a gap just _there_ he could run through -

_Ow!_

Looking up from his sprawl on the ground, Leo not-quite-glares at the defender who had tackled him. A defender who smiles in response, only a little bit of malice evident in the expression.

He doesn't know a lot of Italian yet, but he knows enough to understand this:

"Welcome to the league." Again, only a little bit of malice. Mostly - amused.

And then his team mates pile in, led by Canna, gesturing and looking angrily at the referee. The whole routine seems comfortingly familiar, actually. Just like when he played on the street back in Argentina. And he knows what he's supposed to do now.

Show no weakness. Keep playing. Win.

Leo dusts himself off and gets up, hiding a wince. 2 minutes later, he dashes into the same defender and steals the ball, looking for goal without a backwards glance.

_Kick me all you like - _

\- if you can.

**5) germany vs argentina, '06 world cup**

_El Raton_ finally scores, silencing the German crowd, and Leo releases a long-held breath. They could control the match from here on, keep probing, maybe get another goal -

They could win against the hosts.

The desperate desire to play, to make a difference has been almost completely buried by his anxiety for the guys out there on the field now, but he can't look at Mr Pekerman, irrationally afraid that a selfish thought like that would be transparent to his clear eyes.

Leo might know with bone-deep certainty that he can go out there and help the team, but right now, the only thing to do is wait.

He's so absorbed by the closely-fought struggle on the pitch that a light tap on his shoulder makes him jump. It's Mr Pekerman, giving him that solemn look. Leo stares back, unflinching. Willing Mr Pekerman to find what he's looking for in him.

For one moment, he thinks Mr Pekerman is going to turn away without speaking, and then -

"Leo. Get changed, you're going on."

**Author's Note:**

> 1) If a Barca scout hadn't been alerted to the reason Messi failed his trial at River Plate, then this could very easily have happened. His family couldn't afford the treatment needed to make him grow, especially not at at time when even a club like River couldn't afford to spend that money on a young player.  
> 2) The Spanish U17 coach did try to get Messi to play for Spain, at a time when the Argentina setup didn't even know of his existence.  
> 3) Arsenal inquired about Messi when they were doing the Cesc Fabregas deal.  
> 4) Messi made his full debut at the Camp Nou in a friendly versus Juventus in 05-06, during which he played so well that Capello gave him the nickname 'little devil' and asked Rijkaard for a loan.  
> 5) Pekerman took off Riquelme and Crespo for Cambiasso and Cruz. Messi was an unused substitute. Argentina lost on penalties.


End file.
